THE SUGAR SHORTAGE
Stratton, George F.
The Sugar Shortage Five Great Countries Dependent Upon United States for Supply of This Product. By GEORGE F. STRA TTON THERE is a very general impression that the present shortage of sugar will...
...No murmurs are heard or scowls seen at the regulations of consumption by the Food Administration...
...Five great countries, our allies, are now entirely dependent upon the policy and help of the United States for all their sugar...
...The new phase of the Russian situation indicates a strong probability that every Pacific vessel will be fully busy in transporting men and material to Vladivostoek...
...Russia 1,681,247...
...It may run off badly at any time...
...Whatever Belgium may raise will be snatched away from her by the Huns, and Russian farms are now as much destroyed and unworked by the Bolsheviki as if Hin-denburg had been camping there...
...Then, both it * and the Porto Rican crops have long ocean trips across the Atlantic, with great risks...
...They are England, France, Belgium, Italy and Canada...
...Of all those gigantic totals, France and Italy may have a little production this year...
...the former, perhaps 100,000 tons...
...That leaves us with our own production— about 1,000,000 tons of both cane and beet sugar—to meet our own consumption, about 4,500,000 tons...
...the latter 76^000...
...And we can be very sure that for several years following the conditions will be no better, even if the Kaiser should be brought to his knees by the time this gets into press...
...So we have but one recourse —to induce the beet growers to pull off their coats and go to it...
...Toward that, France, Belgium and Italy rode 1,378,636 tons, but because of the war that production has been reduced to barely 200,000 tons, leaving the requirements still over 3,500,000 tons...
...We may get sugar or may not...
...In the year before the war, 1913-14, 733,-400 tons of beet sugar were made in this country and the acreage was 580,000...
...Let us look at the outlook squarely...
...This year the crop will not be over 750,000 tons and the acreage 620,000...
...There are the Pacific islands)—Hawaii and the Phillipines—with production of about 750,000 tons...
...Italy 336,823...
...By GEORGE F. STRA TTON THERE is a very general impression that the present shortage of sugar will be relieved when the new crops from all the sugar-producing countries come in...
...But the sooner this impression is corrected, the better temper we shall all be in if the ration of Bugar has to be decreased again instead of increased...
...We shall have to get along on one pound...
...Belgium 251,023...
...If we can get that we shall still be two-thirds short...
...The people are doing "the thing which needs to be done" without a growl...
...Before the lands of Europe were scarified with shell holes and trenches and their productive capacities demoralized, close to 8,000,000 tons of beet sugar were produced there yearly...
...Cuba and Porto Rico together produce for export about that amount, and as that crop has always been chiefly drawn upon to supply our own country we are now appealed to and expect to relinquish all purchases there and let those crops—the closest by vessel to our distressed European friends— go to them...
...Not until sometime after we had declared war upon Germany was any attention called to the sugar outlook...
...Germany made 2,993,704 tons...
...At the time of the declaration the sugar-beet acreage was planted and no action could then be taken to increase it.—From The Country Gentleman, October 26th, 1918...
...Cuba's crop is always uncertain...
...The great increase must come from beet sugar and it is to beets and beets mainly that the Food Administration is looking for help...
...Austria-Hungary 1,854,169...
...France 790,790...
...The only absolutely dependable source We have is our own production...
...750,000 tons of beet sugar and 250,000 tons of cane this year...
...The cane-sugar crop of the South has always suffered great vicissitudes, and there can be no expectation of increase in the near future...
...From every three pounds formerly used by every manufacturer of any article and by all house-keepers, two pounds will be missing...
...On our side there is great doubt about vessels to bring the island crops to us...
...For that they are looking to Uncle Sam...
...Their consumption before the war in round figures was 4,000,000 tons yearly...
Vol. 10 • November 1918 • No. 11
